WHAT IS IT ABOUT LOST CITIES SWALLOWED BY JUNGLES THAT BRING OUT THE INDIANA JONES IN ALL OF US?
The thrill of stumbling across a long lost and forgotten city is surely one of our wildest dreams and to 99% it remains so which is just as well as there are not too many lost cities to be found today!
Those which have been discovered include the following below;
Lost CitiesPetra, Jordan
Photograph by Martin Gray
A person standing in the doorway of the Monastery at Petra, Jordan, shows
the enormity of the ancient building's entrance. Carved into the sandstone
hill by the Nabataeans in the second century A.D., this towering structure,
called El-Deir, may have been used as a church or monastery by later
societies, but likely began as a temple.Machu Picchu
Photograph by David Evans
Although the archaeological discovery of Machu Picchu came nearly a
hundred years ago, historians are still unsure of the function of this
ancient Inca citadel.The Inca had no system of writing and left no written records, and archaeologists have been left to piece together bits of evidence as to why Machu Picchu was built, what purpose it served, and why it was so quickly vacated. Palenque, Mexico
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez
The earliest Maya began to settle the dense rain forests of southwestern
Mexico and Guatemala some 3,000 years ago. For nearly 1,400 years,
settlements arose throughout the region, with some, like Tikal and Palenque
(shown here), expanding into large, vibrant city-states.Ancient Troy
Photograph by James Stanfield
Myth, folklore, mystery, and intrigue surround the ancient city of Troy
like no other ruin on Earth. Once thought to be purely imaginary, a prop in
Homer's epic poem The Iliad, excavations in northwestern Turkey in
1871 eventually proved that the city indeed existed.In 1871, German adventurer Heinrich Schliemann began digging at Hisarlik, Turkey, (shown here) in search of the fabled city. His roughshod excavation wrought havoc on the site, but revealed nine ancient cities, each built on top of the next and dating back some 5,000 years. At the time, most archaeologists were skeptical that Troy was among the ruins, but evidence since the discovery suggests the Trojan capital indeed lies within the site. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan
Photograph by Randy Olson
The Indus Valley civilization was entirely unknown until 1921, when
excavations in what would become Pakistan revealed the cities of Harappa and
Mohenjo Daro (shown here).This mysterious culture emerged nearly 4,500 years ago and thrived for a thousand years, profiting from the highly fertile lands of the Indus River floodplain and trade with the civilizations of nearby Mesopotamia. Palmyra, Syria
Photograph by James Stanfield
There is evidence that the ancient city of Palmyra, also known as Tadmor,
was in existence as far back as the 19th century B.C. Its importance grew
around 300 B.C. as trading caravans began using it as a way station between
Mesopotamia and Persia. Palmyra's strategic location and prosperity attracted
the interest of the Romans, who took control of the city in the first century
A.D.Ruins at Tanis, Egypt
Photograph by O. Louis Mazzatenta
The city of Tanis is relatively unknown among Egypt's wealth of historical
sites, though it yielded one of the greatest archeological troves ever found.
Once the capital of all Egypt, Tanis's royal tombs have yielded artifacts on
par with the treasures of Tutankhamun.Great Enclosure, Zimbabwe
Photograph by James Stanfield
Once thought (erroneously) to be a city of the biblical Queen of Sheba,
Great Zimbabwe stands as the most important archaeological site yet found in
sub-Saharan Africa. Though historians are still seeking answers about the origin
and purpose of the city, evidence suggests the Shona, ancestors of the modern
Bantu, built it beginning around A.D. 1250 and that it served as a spiritual
center.Persepolis, Iran
Photograph by James Blair
The ancient city of Persepolis in modern-day Iran was one of four capitals
of the sprawling Persian Empire. Built beginning around 520 B.C., the city
was a showcase for the empire's staggering wealth, with grand architecture,
extravagant works of silver and gold, and extensive relief sculptures such as
this one portraying envoys with offerings for the king.The height of Persian rule lasted from about 550 B.C. until 330 B.C., when Alexander the Great overthrew the ruling Archaemenid dynasty and burned Persepolis to the ground. Stonehenge, England
Photograph by Joel Sartore
Over centuries of study, archaeologists have discovered many truths about
the famed Stonehenge monument in southern England. But despite these
advances, the basic questions of who built this iconic structure and why have
remained unanswered.Mesa Verde, Colorado
Photograph by Paul Nicklen
More than 600 cliff dwellings made by the ancestral Pueblo people, also
known as the Anasazi, are scattered throughout Mesa Verde National Park in
Colorado (shown here).The Anasazi arrived in the region as early as A.D. 550, building their homes and cultivating crops on the soaring mesa tops. Around 1150, though, they began to move their dwellings to the alcoves within the canyon walls. Most houses were quite small, but a few reached enormous proportions, housing up 250 people. |
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